Kingdom

VERNACULAR/PHYSIQUE

Harmatians tend to be of a smaller stock, lean with medium length faces. They often possess pale eyes (Blue, grey, green & hazel), but their hair ranges from dark browns to light blonds, with some black. Typically they have slightly shorter aquiline or celestial noses, slim faces and are fair skinned.

Vernacularly they are described as having ‘posh’ accents in the capital, but the accent varies depending on proximity to both Bethean and Kathra. Northern Harmatians tend to have thicker voices, with harder vowels and consonants, whilst Southern Harmatians tend to soften the vowel. Whilst most Harmatians speak the ‘Common Tongue’, there are also two separate dialects called ‘Althion’ and ‘Bretanish’ spoken in the South-East and North. Althion is a mixture of an older-tongue and Betheanian, whilst Bretanish is closer to the Common Tongue with Kathrak elements.

There was also an old Harmatian alphabet, which was used by the Magi & Nobility in order to keep their research and written affairs private. It is rarely used now, but some scholars continue to study it.

KINGDOM STRUCTURE

Founded by the Harmatian and the Delphi family, the Kingdom of Harmatia was built on marsh land. With the combined use of magic, and engineering, the capital was soon constructed and subsequent villages formed. Around the boarder of Harmatia fortresses were constructed, connected by encampments and walls. These fortresses were given to the noble families of Harmatia to guard the Kingdom, and to this day remain important diplomatic posts within the country.

Fortresses:

In the North:

Helena’s Fortress – owned by Family Hathely

Fort Mount – owned by Family Jameson

In the East:

Castle Moorwood – owned by Family Farnforth

Adele’s Fortress – owned by Family Gregory

Fort Victoria – owned by Family Dewhurst

In the West:

Castle Whitestone – owned by Family Vaughan

Fort Cullington – owned by Family Graham

In the South:

Castle Portsea – owned by Family Stewart

Anaes’s Fortress – owned by Family DuMorne

THE MAGI

Magi – often believed to be a misspelled abbreviation of ‘Majesty’, is in-fact an abbreviated form of ‘Magicus’.

The term ‘Magi’ was given to the Delphi settlers who brought the first magic to Harmatia. Later the word stopped being associated to only the Delphi, but was given to all of those who learnt magic. Over time, the strongest practitioners formed an association with allegiance to the King, and became the ‘Magi’ as they are now known. The last Delphi in the Magi was Horatio who founded the Great Library. At his death, he handed the leadership of the Magi to his human apprentice Belphegore Odin.

The Magi have within their possession the largest collection of magical scripture and written theory in record, and keep them secure within the Magi archives. It is forbidden for anyone other than a Magi to read these scriptures, meaning that Harmatia remains at the forefront of the magical world.

The Magi are chosen from candidates who apply from the Magi Academies, of which there are five in Harmatia, the most prevalent being in the capital. A student has to possess a minimum of 8 years training before he can apply to become a part of the Magi. Typically, the academy welcomes students from the age of twelve, however exceptions have been made, such as in the case of Arlen Zachary who began at 8.

In order to apply to be a Magi, a student must choose a sector to pursue and will be assessed from that. The sectors include Theorist, Teacher, Warrior, Healer, Engineer and Ambassador – the latter of which requires an assessment in another sector as well.

Theorist: Most Magi are expected to study theory as well as create and document new techniques, however a Magi Theorist is someone who excel in particular in the forming of new concepts and ideas, and helps to reimagine other techniques which may have been lost over time or forgotten.

Teacher: Very few Magi become teachers solely. Many of the teachers at the academy are Magi who are retiring, or have been assigned a class as part of their duty. However, because of the high demand for private teachers in magic – especially in noble houses – the sector is available.

Warrior: Warriors become soldiers, guards and form subsequent sectors such as the Night Patrol. They are trained in strategy, weaponry and magical combat and are famed for having the most difficult assessments and the shortest life-spans. Despite this, the application for the ‘Warrior assessment’ remains the highest within the Magi, even though there have been casualties within assessments over the years.

Healer: One of the hardest sectors, many Healers take the Theorist assessment and then balance between the two. There a few Healers in Harmatia due to the delicate nature of the practice and the high failure rate of the assessment. Healers are said to live the longest of all the Magi, and are among the most revered.

Engineer: Engineers use their magic to create, build and sustain architecture and new technologies. Another sector that works closely with the Theorists, a successful Engineer will be amongst the richest in the Magi, whilst an unsuccessful one will be considered at the base of the foundation.

Ambassador: A role which is reserved only for the finest students, Ambassador’s must excel in another sector as well and possess high intelligence, political understanding and (-it is rumoured-) must have an aesthetic appeal. They are then ‘loaned out’ to fellow countries, depending on their skill set. Ambassadors who excel in Healing, Theory or Engineering are often placed in cities or fortresses, whilst Warriors will often find themselves as the highest figure of authority in village or town.